Protect our oceans from "the other CO2 problem," OCEAN ACIDIFICATION

Act now to stop ocean acidification, sometimes called "the other CO2 problem." The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking your input how to address ocean acidification -- a process that opens the door to greater opportunities to regulate the emissions that are causing ocean acidification. It is extremely important that the EPA hears from you in support of protecting our oceans and coasts from acidification.

The oceans absorb about 22 million tons of CO2 daily, causing seawater to become more acidic. Ocean acidification prevents crucial marine life such as plankton, shellfish, and corals from building the protective shells they need to survive. Scientists warn that if we do not rapidly reduce atmospheric CO2, our oceans will dramatically change and entire ocean ecosystems could unravel from the bottom up due to acidification. It's not too late to act, but time is short.

Ask the EPA to use the tools provided by the Clean Water Act -- our nation's strongest law protecting water quality -- to rein in CO2 pollution. The law has a history of successfully reducing water pollution, including other atmospheric pollutants such as mercury and acid rain. The EPA has the ability to invoke this powerful law get a handle on pollution that is causing ocean acidification.

Sign the petition below to urge the EPA to act quickly to address ocean acidification.

(Photo: NOAA)

Letter to

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Petition Home

Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2010-0175

Please take action to protect our ocean and coastal waters from ocean acidification. I urge the Environmental Protection Agency to issue guidance on ocean acidification that will help to prevent the harmful impacts of acidification.

I am concerned about the threat of ocean acidification on the natural marine environment and the coastal communities that depend on our oceans. Carbon dioxide pollution, the result of our burning of fossil fuels, has changed seawater chemistry at a rate faster than seen in millions of years, affecting the growth, reproduction, and health of all marine life. Scientists predict that continued declines in pH could lead to collapse of global fisheries and cause coral reefs to dissolve, affecting the food supply and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people.

I understand that EPA has an ability to use the Clean Water Act to get a handle on the pollution that is causing acidification.Ocean acidification represents a threat to biological diversity that is likely as severe as global warming. Thus, it should be a national priority to take prompt action to curb ocean acidification. I support EPA taking action under the Clean Water Act to help protect our oceans and coastal resources from the threat of ocean acidification.